IS GLAD SPRING TRAINING IS FINALLY HERE
It isn't a surprise that Sean McDermott will be the Eagles' defensive coordinator -- when the team revealed the extent of Jim Johnson's problem with metastasized melanoma last January, it seemed very unlikely Johnson would be able to function in that role in 2009, or afterward. Johnson has officially been on leave since May 18.
However, this morning's abrupt announcement that McDermott will be 
introduced as the coordinator at a Saturday news conference -- without any sort of "interim" title -- is surprising. The team provided no immediate details. It seems reasonable to infer that Johnson's situation is so dire, there is no point in continuing to hold out the possibility of his return. A team spokesman said Johnson is unavailable for comment, and there will be no obligatory quote from Johnson provided.
UPDATED: The Eagles have provided these quotes from head coach Andy Reid: "First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with Jim Johnson and his family as they battle through this difficult time in his cancer treatments. I have been in constant communication with Jim and his wife (Vicky) throughout this offseason and they are thankful for all the support they have received from the Eagles organization, the fans and the entire NFL community.
"As far as Sean McDermott, we have full confidence he can continue to lead this defense in his new role. He showed great command and presence in the offseason camps and has had an opportunity to learn from the best in the business. He’s very smart, works very hard, and has a good rapport with the players and the assistant coaches. He’s ready for this and I’m confident he’ll do a great job."
It probably benefits McDermott, having the players know that he is the coordinator, not just a guy filling in, with training camp starting Sunday at Lehigh. But during minicamps, the Eagles allowed no media access to McDermott, while Johnson was away being treated, seemingly underscoring the fact that the job still belonged to Johnson. This news conference, and bestowing of the title to McDermott, is a 180-degree change from that stance.
McDermott, 35, has worked for the Eagles in a number of roles since 1998. He is a graduate of La Salle High and William and Mary.
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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